China to immunise pigs with PRRS vaccine
China’s ministry of agriculture will start to immunise swine in Guangdong province to prevent the spread of PRRS.
The ministry is taking this action because the disease was reported on Friday on a production site, having 3,000 pigs, in this province in the South East of China. According to officials already 331 animals had died.
It remains unclear how the PRRS virus entered the production site – all the animals will now be culled; transports will be limited.
Chinese scientists said that it was possibly a very aggressive variety of the PRRS virus.
Mystery virus
It remains unclear however, whether this virus also caused the other pig deaths in Guangdong province. This ‘mystery’ virus has allegedly killed 3,000 pigs ever since the outbreak started in February 2007.
The World Food Organisation (FAO) says there could be other causes for the mass deaths among the pigs.
Last summer, many pigs in South East China died from PRRS as well.
Related news items:
• China orders mass vaccinations against disease (8 May 2007)
• Unidentified illness kills over 300 pigs in China (7 May 2007)
Related web sites:
• World Food Organisation (FAO)
• Chinese ministry of agriculture
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